


Nick Overexerts Himself

by valis2



Series: Gratuitous Nick Hurt/Comfort [1]
Category: Riptide (TV)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-20
Updated: 2010-01-20
Packaged: 2017-10-07 23:22:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/70315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valis2/pseuds/valis2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick overexerts himself after an injury.  Part of the Gratuitous Nick Hurt/Comfort Series.  This is exactly what the series title states:  gratuitous Nick h/c.  There is very little plot.  No beta.  Just Nick, and h/c.  Light and fluffy.  No sexual content.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nick Overexerts Himself

**Author's Note:**

> This is exactly what the series title states: gratuitous Nick h/c. There is very little plot. No beta. Just Nick, and h/c. Light and fluffy. No sexual content.

Nick stood at the counter of the Calypso Chocolate Factory and waited for the salesgirl to finish waiting on a customer. His hip throbbed incessantly, and he shifted his stance, which caused another spike of pain. He'd only taken a half dose of painkillers that morning because he hated feeling fuzzy, and he was already regretting it.

"Can I help you?" The blond girl behind the counter smiled wider than a normal human being should be able to.

"Yeah," said Nick, trying to ignore the pain in his hip. "Look, my name's Nick Ryder. I'm a detective from the Riptide Detective Agency, and--"

"Oh!" said the girl, leaning forward. "You're looking for the lost girl!"

"That's right," said Nick, remembering to smile. "Heather Larkins. Four years old, blond hair, blue eyes." He showed her a picture. "Were you working yesterday night?"

"No, I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "I only work the morning shift."

"Well, if you see anything, or hear anything, why don't you give me a call?" He handed her a business card. "Leave a message if we're not there. Oh--and if you could mention this to the night shift, that would really help us out."

"Okay," she promised. "I will!"

He left and went into the next store in the mall, which fortunately was the last in the hall. There were only a few people shopping; most of the stores he'd entered had been empty. Trying not to limp, he made his way to the counter. The racks of clothing were full of neon colors and the music volume was so high that he could barely make out what the kid behind the register was saying. The kid finally gave up and just shook his head when it became obvious Nick couldn't hear him. Nick gave him a business card, too, and then headed for the rendezvous point.

He grimaced as he came to the seating arrangement. There was no way he was going to even try sitting down; he leaned his good side against an oversize planter. For the hundredth time he wished he'd been just a little faster. The graze from the bullet ached almost continually. Four days ago they'd been caught in a shootout, and he'd been diving for cover when he got nicked.

Murray was walking slowly toward him, engrossed in a map of the mall. He had a pen out and was making notations.

"Hey, Boz," said Nick. "Find out anything?"

"Nick!" said Murray, almost dropping the map. "Oh, I didn't see you. No, I talked to everyone in hall C, and no one saw anything unusual. However, most of the employees were not on the evening shift last night, and therefore weren't present during the disappearance. There was one store, an alteration shop, and the woman who owned it--Raisa, I believe her name was--said that she remembered seeing Heather and Dana for a moment."

"I asked at the candy place," said Nick. "Dana said she took Heather there for something sweet, but the girl who's there today wasn't working last night." He exhaled, feeling tired down to his bones.

Murray scrunched the paper in his hands. "Nick," he said hesitantly. "Do you think that Cody is a little too...invested in this case?"

"Dana's an old girlfriend." Nick rubbed at the back of his neck. "One of his...serious girlfriends. And it's the possible abduction of a sweet little girl. Of course he's invested."

"You're right," said Murray, unfolding the map again. "I just...he seems so focused on it. I mean, moreso than usual. You know, he got up at four this morning and went through all of the information I had Roboz print out for us last night. He even underlined things."

"Yeah. I know." He yawned and let his hand drop back down to his side.

"I've been going over this map, and I think we're nearly done canvassing. I just hope that someone remembers something and calls us. I wonder if Cody remembered to erase the old answering machine messages to make room for new calls..."

"I hope so." The throbbing in his hip was making him crazy. "Where is Cody, anyway?"

"Right here." Cody came up behind Murray and took the map from his hands. "Did you two get any information?"

"Nope. How about you?" asked Nick.

"Nothing so far, but I'm still not done with the hall. Six stores left."

"We haven't done Hall A yet, either," reminded Murray, pointing at the map. His eyes flicked over to Nick.

Nick honestly didn't know if he could walk much further. He thought for a minute. "How about I finish Cody's hall, and you guys both do A? Then we can meet at the entrance to B." Which, conveniently, was where they were parked.

"Great idea!" enthused Murray.

"First six stores on your left," said Cody, giving him a nod. He headed off briskly and Murray followed him.

Nick shook his head. Cody really _had_ let this case go to his heart. He'd barely slept last night, and today he'd been driving himself like the devil was at his heels. Nick took a step or two, trying to loosen the tightness in his hip, and then managed to walk smoothly, even though it wasn't near his normal pace.

No one in the six stores knew a thing. A guy at the jewelry store on the corner remembered seeing the little girl, but it was while she was still with Dana. He handed out business cards and asked them to mention it to the night shifts as well.

Warm California sunshine came in through the glass doors, and Nick stood and waited for Murray and Cody to finish their hall. His hip ached even more insistently, and he hoped that they'd go back to the _Riptide_ next so he could grab another pill. He was wearing loose khakis instead of jeans, but it hadn't helped much. It still hurt.

He saw Murray first, looking excited. "Nick!" he called out. "Good news!"

"Yeah?" Nick shifted a little, and felt another hot flash of pain.

"Are you okay?" asked Murray, suddenly looking worried.

"Fine, yeah, I'm fine. What's your news?"

"Cody was interviewing the food court employees--you remember the food court at the end of Hall C, don't you, Nick?"

"Yeah, sure, I remember. What did they say, Murray?"

"Well, one of the night shift people came in, and they heard about the case from the other employees, and they ran into Cody somehow, and we have a lead!"

"A lead? Who?"

"I don't know. Cody caught up to me and told me to find you and that we had to get back to the boat. I've got the keys. I think he's going to meet us at the Jimmy."

"Great." Nick took a step, and exhaled slowly, trying to ignore the pain shooting through his hip. Another step, and he realized Murray was watching him with concern.

"Are you sure you're okay, Nick?" asked Murray. "Do you need help?"

Nick waved him off, and together they walked out of the doors and toward the Jimmy. After they'd gotten only halfway, Murray took hold of his arm and helped take some of the weight off, ignoring his protests. The parking lot was deserted, thankfully. They got to the Jimmy, and Murray scampered up into the back. Nick opened the door and got in very slowly, swearing under his breath. He didn't bother with his seat belt, but just sat still, waiting for the pain to die down to more bearable levels.

"I think you need to lie down," said Murray. "And--"

"I know, Murray, I know," said Nick, his teeth gritted. He took a deep breath. "Look, I'm sorry. I'll just take a pain pill when we get back. I'll be fine. You don't have to worry."

Cody opened the door and jumped in, rocking the truck, and Nick felt another twinge in his hip. "I've got a great lead," said Cody, his face lit with excitement. "I think this is going to solve it."

"Are we going back to the _Riptide_?" asked Murray. "Because--"

"Yeah, Murray, I have a phone number that you need to trace," said Cody. He started up the Jimmy and headed out of the parking lot with a squeal of the tires. "Remember when we were talking about the possible suspects?"

"Well, of course. Statistically, it's most likely her ex-husband, Paul, from Indiana. He's got both the motive and the--"

"Exactly. That's who you'd think would do something like this. Bitter custody battle, even the grandparents getting involved, and there's a restraining order against him. But he's got an airtight alibi, so--"

"Remember what Quinlan said," said Murray. "He could have hired someone. A professional. Someone who's like the wind, invisible, someone who could hide in plain sight, who could have snatched little Heather away before her mother even knew--"

"Yeah, but remember, we talked to Dana, and she thinks that the ex is over it, mostly. He's even dating again--" Cody shook his head. "Anyway, as I was saying..."

"Her daycare worker was a suspect, too." Murray sounded lost in thought. "She's overdrawn on her checking account, and I think she's been gambling quite heavily in recent months. A habit like that is costly."

"Still, most casinos won't take a baby in payment for gambling debts." Cody was grinning, eyes on the road. Nick wished they'd get there faster.

"Oh, no, of course not." Murray giggled. "Can you imagine? They'd have to set up a baby depository for late night payments. Really, though, Cody, Heather is four years old, and I think she'd be classified as a toddler-- "

"Toddler, baby, does it really--"

"Are you gonna tell us what happened, or not?" demanded Nick.

"Oh yeah. Sorry." Cody turned left and the sign for King Harbor came into view. "One of the workers remembers seeing a little girl wandering around in the corridors behind the food court. She wasn't crying or anything, and he said that one of the cleaning crew picked her up and took her with her, so he assumed she was her kid or under her care."

"Did you find out her name?" asked Murray.

"And her phone number," said Cody, grinning from ear to ear. "I think we might have solved this. And based on the conversation I had, I have a feeling that it's going to be a happy reunion." He turned onto the pier drive. "So you'll be able to find an address, right, Murray?"

"Of course! I'll just use a reverse directory. The phone company's satellite uplink should work perfectly for this. I've been finetuning it and I think I have a new way of accessing it that will dramatically minimize my presence in their system. They won't even know I was there!"

"That's great, Boz!" Cody pulled into his parking spot, and was halfway down the companionway before Nick even had the door open. He held his breath and tried to slide out of the seat as carefully as possible. Murray helped, and he leaned on him until he could breathe again.

"Thanks." After a few steps, the burn went back down to almost tolerable, but the companionway proved to be a challenge. Before, he'd taken a dose of painkillers, and it'd been easier. Now he had to use the railings for support as he made his way slowly to the bottom, Murray helping him every step of the way.

Getting aboard was even worse. He managed to get onto the fantail, and stood for a moment, leaning on the rail.

"Where are your pills?" asked Murray.

"Medicine cabinet." Nick watched as Murray bounded into the wheelhouse, and then he let go of the railing and went up the steps, taking them very carefully and bearing the brunt of his weight on his right leg. In the wheelhouse he paused for a moment, catching his breath. The pain didn't diminish at all, and he plowed ahead, taking the steps into the salon. The sooner he got inside, the sooner he could rest. He was starting to feel light-headed.

"Murray?" called out Cody. "C'mon, the Roboz is raring to go!" He came into the salon.

Nick had one hand on the paneling, steadying himself. "Just a minute!" said Murray, coming up from the galley with a glass of water and a bottle of pills. Cody glanced at Murray, and then at Nick, and an intense flash of guilt suddenly lit his face.

"Cody, it's okay," Nick tried to say, but the boat rocked, and the resulting flare of pain nearly took him down. Cody's arms were around him suddenly, supporting him, and he leaned on him gratefully. "Thanks," he murmured into the general vicinity of Cody's shoulder.

"You should have said something," said Cody, voice tight with worry.

"He should really take the pills," said Murray.

"Just need one." Nick closed his eyes. The room was spinning.

"Take two." Cody's tone was strong enough that Nick knew it was useless to argue. "And then you're getting in bed." Nick felt him turn toward Murray slightly, and they exchanged a few whispers.

"C'mon, Nick, open your eyes. Just take the pills." With a start, Nick realized that Cody was supporting nearly all his weight. Leaning back a little, he took the pills from Murray and chased them down with a few swallows of water. Murray disappeared, and Cody nudged him toward the stairs. Fire sparked in his hip, and he couldn't suppress a hiss of pain. "I've got you," said Cody quietly. "Put more weight on me...that's it..."

The stairs were agony, but having Cody's help meant it was over faster, and soon enough he was leaning on the wall of their room, Cody pulling his shirt off. Normally he would have made a joke, but he couldn't think of anything beyond the throb in his hip.

A few more steps, and they were next to the bunk. This was going to hurt, and Nick gritted his teeth against the pain. Even though Cody was careful and slow, and Nick tried to brace himself, it still hurt like hell, and by the time he was lying down, he was panting like he'd run a marathon. Cody unbuttoned his pants and tugged them down, and even that small motion caused another wave of scalding agony. He closed his eyes and tried to block it out.

Voices echoed, and he reopened his eyes. Doc Harris was there, with a very worried Cody standing next to him. "Nick, I just want to have a look," said the doc, pulling down the blankets. Nick shivered. The painkillers must have started to kick in; he felt decidedly loopy. "This might hurt a little."

The pain in his hip intensified, and Nick gritted his teeth and tried not to cry out. Cody's hand was on his, holding tight, and finally the agony subsided. Nick felt wrung out.

"...might be showing signs of infection..." Doc's voice rose and fell, and he could only make out part of it. "...and the overexertion didn't help. Keep him warm, check his temperature...painkillers might cause a bit of nausea, so try to get him to eat bland food, lots of fluids...change the dressings..." His voice ebbed away. Cody was gone, and Nick blinked, trying to focus, but it was difficult.

He heard a noise, and looked up to see Cody closing the blinds. He was confused. Doc Harris had disappeared. There was a warm hand on his forehead, and he blinked again. Cody was near, looking worried. "You should sleep, Nick," he said quietly. "Do you need another painkiller?"

Nick shook his head, and immediately regretted it. He closed his eyes against the blur. The hand was stroking his hair, so comforting, so warm, and a black tide rose up and pulled him under into oblivion.

* * *

Blinking, Nick came awake. The clock read that it was just a little after three, and judging from the darkness in the room, it was three am. The painkillers had worn off, and he could feel his hip throbbing.

He got up and hobbled to the head to relieve himself. Checking the medicine cabinet, he frowned when he found that the pill bottle was missing. He really didn't want to have to wake up Cody, but the ache was getting worse, setting his teeth on edge, and he didn't know if he could get back to sleep without it.

Cody appeared in the doorway. "Hey," he said, rubbing his eyes. "What are you doing?"

Nick sighed. "Getting back into bed."

"Damned straight you are." He yawned. "Wait--it's time for another dose, isn't it?"

"Yeah," admitted Nick.

"C'mon." Cody's bathrobe was tied crookedly and he looked asleep on his feet, but the arm around his waist was solid, and Nick was back under the covers with a minimum of fuss. Another round of pills, and Cody was back in his own bunk, snoring within two minutes, as usual.

It took a while for the ache to die down. Nick eased himself onto his back and let the painkillers take him to sleep.

* * *

The morning sun was peeking in between the blinds. Nick coughed and grimaced. His stomach was uneasy, and he shifted to ease the discomfort in his hip, which brought on a new stab of pain. He froze, trying to bring his breathing under control.

It was just a graze. He couldn't understand why he felt so bad. A headache was pushing behind his eyes, and he exhaled. His mouth tasted awful.

He made it to the head, and was halfway through brushing his teeth when the door was pushed open, revealing a panicking Cody. "Hey," he said, relief flooding his face.

Nick nodded in response and finished brushing his teeth while Cody watched. After he'd rinsed his mouth, Cody all but pulled him out of the head. Fortunately, they seemed headed for the galley, and Cody wrapped a bathrobe around him and helped him sit down.

Murray came into the galley as well, looking delighted. "Nick! How are you feeling? Are you okay?"

"Fine, Murray, fine," said Nick, rubbing his forehead. Cody handed him the bottle of pain medication and he shook a pill out into his hand and swallowed it with some water. "So are you guys going to follow that great lead today?"

"Oh, no, Nick," said Murray, smiling. "It's all been resolved! You see, it turns out that Heather was taken by an older woman who didn't speak English. She works on the cleaning crew, and she has a grandson about the same age. The mall had closed, and her boss had left, so she decided to take Heather home with her, and then bring her back when her shift started the next day."

"That doesn't make any sense," said Nick, still rubbing.

"She was pretty confused about the whole thing," said Cody, sliding a bowl of soup in front of him. "Quinlan helped sort it all out, though. Who knew he spoke Spanish?"

"I did," said Murray. "Anyway, Heather's back with Dana, and Dana decided not to press charges. It was pretty clear that the woman had no malicious intent. Heather's still too little to really understand phone numbers and addresses, so there was no way she could contact Dana."

Nick dipped his spoon into the soup and took an experimental sip. Chicken noodle, and definitely not from a can. He wondered when Cody'd had the time to make it. "So Dana's happy?"

"Ecstatic." Murray salted and peppered his eggs vigorously, and Cody slid in next to him with his own plate of eggs.

"Do we have another case?" asked Nick.

"No," said Cody firmly. Murray glanced at him quizzically.

"Did you turn down work?" Nick felt a stab of worry. Cody hesitated, but then nodded. "Why?"

"It was Mimi work, actually," said Cody. His expression turned stubborn. "There's no way in hell you're getting anywhere near that chopper until Doc Harris says you can."

"I could--"

"No." Cody took a sip of orange juice. "Not after yesterday." A flash of guilt stole over his face.

"Look--"

"It was just a quick job." Cody ate a forkful of scrambled egg.

Nick couldn't help but remember that the job they'd just done for Dana was a non-paying one. "Cody, if it's just a quick gig--"

"Nick, stop, okay? He needed a chopper at four o'clock this morning. It's eight. It's a moot point." The look on his face was pleading. "There's no way you could have flown."

"Fine." Nick dropped his spoon into the soup and leaned back a little, trying not to grimace at the flash of pain it provoked.

"We'll be all right," soothed Murray. "I've gone over the finances, and I'm due to receive a royalty check any day now. We can definitely afford to take a day or two off."

"Or three or four," said Cody, giving Nick a look.

"C'mon, I'm not an invalid," complained Nick. "It's just a graze."

"For once, can you drop it, Nick?" Cody exhaled, looking unhappy. "Just...you need to take it easy. The doc's worried that you're getting an infection, and I just..."

The guilt on his face was so strong that it was like a neon sign to Nick. "You're right," he said. "Sorry. I'm just...I get worried when we're not working, that's all, and..."

"We'll be fine." Murray reached across the table and patted Nick's wrist. "Don't worry, Nick. Just concentrate on feeling better." He got up, putting his plate into the sink, and went up the stairs to the salon.

Cody was quiet for a long moment. "You gave us a scare yesterday." He took another sip of orange juice.

"I'm sorry, man, I really am. I should've taken the full dose yesterday morning, you were right--"

"Nick, it's not the medication," said Cody. "You walked too much yesterday. You should have stayed on the _Riptide_."

"It was just a walk around the mall," argued Nick.

Cody gave him an incredulous look. "Yesterday you passed out--"

"When?" demanded Nick.

"When we came back! I had to grab you or you would've taken a header right into the table." Cody huffed in exasperation. "You're grounded, buddy. You're staying off your feet as much as possible for the next few days."

"If we get a case--"

"We're not going to take any cases."

Nick was sensing that he wasn't going to win this argument. "Fine. So today, I take it easy--"

"Three days."

"Today and tomorrow--"

"Three days."

"Cody--"

"We're going to relax and take a vacation," said Cody, crossing his arms over his chest. "Three days. And you're relaxing with us."

"It's ready!" said Murray, poking his head into the galley. "C'mon, guys!"

Nick looked at Cody quizzically. "What's ready?"

"You'll see," said Cody. He helped him up and they went up the stairs into the salon.

There was a pile of pillows on the bench seat, and the TV was on the table. The blinds were drawn. Nick frowned. "What--"

"This is really boss!" enthused Murray. "Have a seat, Nick." He gestured toward the seat, and Cody helped him sit down, letting him recline against the pillows. "I rented a few of Helen's movies. We'll have a marathon!"

Nick was touched. "That sounds great," he admitted. Cody drew a blanket up over his legs and sat down next to him, grinning. "Fine. I give up. Three days."

"And no flying for a week."

"Hey!" said Nick.

"Shh, you guys, the movie's starting," said Murray. He sat down next to Cody and they all watched as the opening credits appeared.

Nick felt a warm glow in his chest. Cody's hand was on his arm, comforting, and he let his head drop back onto the pillows. The familiar music of _Queen of the Empire_ came on.

"Thanks, guys," said Nick quietly. "You're the best friends a guy could have."


End file.
